Dahlberg Joins PRO - Post-Spawn Tips - Wisco Drama
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NEW SEASON LAUNCH!
A brand new musky season is about to go down… and now’s the time to decide what kind of season you wanna have.
If you want to severely tip the odds in your favor this year, you need to get plugged into Musky Insider PRO.
We’ve been workin’ hard to assemble what might honestly be the most stacked lineup we’ve ever had for Musky Insider PRO… and we’re absolutely fired up to announce that Larry Dahlberg is joining us as an instructor this season. 👀
Larry is widely considered one of the greatest all-around anglers of all time, and his influence on modern musky fishing is hard to overstate.
And he’s not coming alone…
Joining the lineup this year are heavy hitters like Jeremy Smith and Jim Saric, along with returning hammer Dan Wojtusik, who has 30 musky tournament wins under his belt and delivered one of the most cerebral Q&A sessions we’ve ever had in PRO.
And that’s just scratching the surface… here’s a look at our current up-to-date list of instructors:
This season’s lineup includes media legends, tournament hammers, hardcore guides, and fisheries biologists from all across the musky belt.
You’ll get direct access to these instructors during our live Q&A and class sessions (all recorded if you miss them), plus instant access to:
✅ 40+ hours of recorded classes
✅ 116+ hours of past Q&A recordings
✅ Big Fish “Pink Days” calendar & analytics
✅ Early access to custom baits & new bait releases
✅ Year-round member discounts
✅ A private community of hardcore musky anglers
These are specific moon windows where the biggest fish in the system tend to become significantly more vulnerable to getting caught… and PRO members get access to Josh Borovsky’s Pink Day calendars, analytics, and giant fish forecasts throughout the season. 👀
And honestly… some of the results members have reported have been pretty wild.
⭐ “The pink days alone are worth the subscription! The lure mods and timely updates have been helpful. There’s so much information shared that has been helpful it’s worth way more than what it costs.”
— Dan M.
⭐ “Pink Days are legit! Had one of my best days on the water yesterday… 4 fish including a 50.5”.”
— Grant J.
⭐ “My biggest of the year, (a 51.5") was caught on a lake that was identified and predicted to produce 50+" fish within the "Pink Day" big fish analytics and predictions.”
— Brendan A.
Another major perk of the membership is early access to hard-to-find baits, custom colors, and new bait releases before the general public... like the Kramer Bros. #9 Woodtick with the special "baby body" build in our custom Insider PRO "Night Stalker" color pictured above... 👀
And yes… PRO members still get 15% off at Thorne Bros through the end of 2026 on rods, reels, lures, and more (some exclusions apply).
We’re kickin’ off the new season Wednesday, May 13th with a LIVE Q&A featuring Southern Wisconsin guide Jeff Hanson.
Jeff has already been hammerin’ the water this spring and will be sharing current patterns, conditions, and real-time insights to help our members get dialed in right outta the gate.
The season starts NOW. 👀
Registration closes May 21st.
Don’t miss your shot at the best season of PRO yet.
Spring Tips With Steve Heiting
Early season is a unique time of year to chase ‘skies. Conditions can swing wildly from snow and brutal wind to 90 degrees and flat calm, and the fish can be finicky to say the least.
But one major advantage this time of year?
Once the spawn wraps up, Steve says those fish often slide to nearby cover.
“When they finish spawning they move to nearby cover, which can be last year’s dead weeds in the bay, or nearby points, islands, and shorelines as they transition toward main lake spots.”
He also likes areas with warmer inflowing streams, especially when they’re connected to or adjacent to those same types of areas.
Nugget 2: Wood and Current Patterns
In his follow-up video, Steve adds a couple more key location factors...
He emphasizes wood cover like fallen trees and docks left in over winter, especially along steeper (but not super dramatic) breaking shorelines.
“The wood or dock pattern seems to apply to cold mornings or post frontal conditions. You don’t need excessively deep water near the shoreline. Just 4 to 8 feet of depth with fallen trees or wooden docks that are left in the lake over winter and not pulled out.”
Steve also reminds anglers not to overlook current areas, pointing out that muskies are originally river fish.
“Since muskies evolved as river fish, you should never discount their use of current. Sometimes they’ll lie with their nose right in the current, but often they’ll be off to the side on points or nearby bends or cover that is just out of the current.”
Nugget 3: Lure Choice
These videos also feature a few catches, showin’ what baits actually brought home the bacon. 🥓
While Steve didn’t dive too deeply into baits yet in the series, it’s pretty obvious he likes smaller-profile offerings for post-spawn fish, especially smaller bucktails and twitch-style baits.
Steve told us his top-producing early season bucktail last year was the Mepps Musky Marabou with a chartreuse blade and black tail, which he says is always tough to beat.
He also likes the Mepps Musky Killer with a gold or copper blade and brown/yellow tail because “it really looks like a perch in the water.”
Another sleeper in his lineup is the Mepps Comet Mino in gold with the perch Mino dressing, which Steve says “will often get it done when nothing else is working.”
On the hard bait side, Steve says the Bucher Baby ShallowRaider in the Halloween Perch, Team Rhino custom pattern has been producing for him since the early 1990s when the bait was first introduced… and it’s still getting crushed today.
Other key players in his lineup include:
✅ Crane 206 in perch with a yellow belly
✅ 7-inch unweighted Suick in bronze perch
✅ 9-inch Suick HI in walleye
Steve says the Crane 206 was actually his top-producing bait in Wisconsin last season, while the 9-inch Suick HI really shines when walleye guides start reporting muskies grabbing hooked walleyes.
One other sneaky detail Steve emphasized...
The first six baits are all paired with a short 6-inch Stealth twitchbait leader and 65-pound braid to reduce weight and drag in the water, helping those smaller, lower-buoyancy baits work properly.
For the bigger 9-inch Suick HI, he switches to a 12-inch Stealth solid wire leader with a swivel.
A Little Bonus Tip on Timing...
Steve also emphasized that he prefers to wait until a little bit later in the morning before getting on the water to let the sun work its magic and heat things up a bit. 🔥
Don’t sleep on late afternoon hours either. While that might be a time of day to avoid other times of year, water temps typically peak during those hours and can perk up both the fish and their metabolism, especially during cooler springs.
Early season can be tricky, but it can also produce some AWESOME fishing if you stick with it and dial in the right spots. 💪
You can check out Part 1 and Part 2 of Steve’s post-spawn series on his YouTube channel right here.
Update on Wisco's Political Musky Storm
Well… Wisconsin musky politics officially went from “heated debate” to full-blown Northwoods firestorm in a hurry.
Since our last update, there’s been major pushback against the unified opener, reported legislation being worked on to restore the split-zone season, support for license fee increases after hatchery shutdowns and stocking cuts… and now a tribal waters lawsuit that temporarily put non-tribal musky and walleye fishing on hold across 19 lakes.
Yep.
Things escalated quickly.
Unified Opener Pushback Gains Momentum
Back on April 13 during the Wisconsin Conservation Congress spring hearings, citizen resolutions were reportedly introduced in roughly 24 counties calling for Wisconsin to return to the old split-zone musky opener structure.
In other words...
👉 Push the northern zone opener back to the Saturday before Memorial Day weekend.
And from the reports we’ve seen, support for bringing back the split opener appeared VERY strong across many northern Wisconsin counties.
There’s also reportedly legislation now being worked on that could restore the previous split-zone opener through the legislative process.
But this thing definitely seems to have some momentum.
Meanwhile… Anglers Support Fee Increases
In another interesting development...
A majority of respondents at the spring hearings reportedly supported increasing hunting and fishing license fees to help sustain DNR programs.
And honestly… after the recent hatchery shutdowns and musky stocking cuts, that’s probably not much of a surprise.
Right before opener, the Lac du Flambeau Band moved to prohibit non-tribal fishing of muskies and walleyes on 19 reservation lakes, citing conservation concerns and tribal authority.
Wisconsin responded with a lawsuit arguing the tribe does not have authority to regulate non-tribal anglers on those waters.
A federal judge then issued a temporary restraining order allowing the fishing season to proceed normally for now while the legal battle continues.
So currently:
✅ Non-tribal anglers CAN fish those lakes
❌ But the broader legal fight is still ongoing
And yeah...
👉 funding concerns
👉 stocking cuts
👉 or tribal waters disputes…
We’re guessing this probably won’t be the last update.
So when issues pop up that could affect musky populations, fisheries, or access to fishing opportunities, we try to keep our readers informed.
This Week's Mashup:
Mashup time!
#1 – Spanky Baits’ new Violence topwater just landed at Ezoko. The resin front spins and plops loud, and these babies are built to call fish up from the next zip code.
#2 – Just a casual walkin’ the dog clip from Angling Anarchy, right up until this musky decided the dog needed to be put down. Violent topwater strike incoming.
#3 – This musky replica from Spratt Hand-Crafted Lures is seriously well done. Hand carved from cedar with polycarbonate fins and custom glass eyes, the detail is about as clean as it gets.
A really cool piece that shows off just how far lure and fish art has come.
#4 – Jimmy Gallant got the kind of eat we all replay in our heads. That gill flare right before this beast makes the Fat Bastard disappear boatside… unreal.
QUICK HITTERS:
– We found a GIANT! Musky madness in WI | FST Season 4 EP 3 Wisconsin (video) w/ Flylords
– CRUSHING Eagle Lake Muskies on Red October Tubes (VLOG 8) (video) w/ Beyond the 8
– Steve Herbeck: Legends of Muskie Fishing | Livingston Lures (video) w/ Livingston Lures
– 48 Hours Hunting the Most Dangerous Fish in West Virginia!! (Fly Fishing for Musky) (video) w/ Hardman Fishing Adventures
– A PERFECT TIME TO USE RUBBER FOR MUSKY (video) w/ Smith’s Fishing Outdoors
This Week's Monster Muskies:
Okay, let's do a "Pink Day" takeover!
Pink Days are all about the biggest fish in the system being more vulnerable to getting caught. 👀
And honestly… some of the catches we’ve seen line up with these windows have been pretty wild.
If you want to use the Pink Days to your advantage this season, that’s one of the things we share inside Musky Insider PRO. We don’t just give members the dates, we also break down the analytics and predict which waters will kick out giants… and the results have been pretty dang spot on. 🔥
There’s no way Jacob Slowen is hoisting this Pink Day monster solo… good thing Insider PRO instructor Kevin Cochran was there to lend a hand on this tank. Way to go Jacob! 👊
Blue skies, big smiles, and summer Pink Day vibes. Joe Pennington sticks a beauty while sharing the boat with Insider PRO instructor Danny Herbeck, reminding us warmer musky days are comin’. 😎
Pete Doyle stuck this plus-sized sea serpent while sharing the boat with Insider PRO instructor Mike Kramer. 😳
Jordan Guck cashed in on a Pink Day trolling bite in WV while fishing with Insider PRO instructor Chase Gibson. 👀
Wanna be featured in Musky Insider? Send in your recent trophy musky photos by replying to this email. You might just see your pic in next week's newsletter. 🤙
